WPL 2025

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 is scheduled to begin on February 14, 2025. The opening match of the third edition will be played between Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. The final of WPL 2025 will be played on March 15 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Inception and evolution of the WPL

WPL emerged as a landmark moment in women's cricket, building upon the success of the Women's T20 Challenge, which initially began as a single-match event in 2018. Encouraged by its success, the tournament expanded to a three-team, three-match format in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Recognising the growing interest and talent in women's cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to start a proper league. In February 2022, then-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly announced plans for a women's version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This new competition would replace the Women's T20 Challenge and serve as the first major women's Twenty20 league in India.

The WPL officially debuted in March 2023, aiming to provide a structured and competitive environment for women cricketers.

In the inaugural 2023 season, Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals in the final to clinch the title. The following year, in 2024, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru emerged victorious, defeating the Delhi Capitals in the final.

The success of the first two seasons have been instrumental in highlighting the depth of talent in women's cricket and have significantly contributed to the league's growing popularity.

WPL 2025: venues

WPL 2025 fixtures are scheduled across four venues in India, where 22 matches will be played including the eliminator and the final.

Vadodara (Kotambi Stadium): Hosting the initial six matches

Bengaluru (M. Chinnaswamy Stadium): Hosting the subsequent eight matches

Lucknow (Ekana Cricket Stadium): Hosting four matches

Mumbai (CCI Stadium): Hosting the final leg, including four matches, the eliminator on March 13, and the final on March 15

The third edition of WPL 2025 will feature five franchises:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Gujarat Giants (GG)

Delhi Capitals (DC)

UP Warriorz (UPW)

WPL 2025 auction

The Women’s Premier League 2025 auction took place in Bengaluru on December 15, where the five teams finalised their rosters for the upcoming season.

A total of 19 slots were filled during the mini-auction, including five spots for international players. From the pool of 120 players—comprising 91 Indian and 29 overseas cricketers—the teams made their selections to strengthen their squads.

Players at the auction had a base price range of ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh. Gujarat Giants made some of the biggest moves, acquiring Deandra Dottin for ₹1.70 crore. Their most notable signing was Simran Shaikh, who became the auction’s most expensive player with a price tag of ₹1.90 crore.

The youngest participant, 13-year-old left-arm seamer Anshu Nagar, went unsold. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians invested ₹1.60 crore in 16-year-old allrounder G Kamalini.

Smriti Mandhana, who was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹3.40 crore during the WPL 2023 auction, remains the league’s most expensive player. She played a huge role in helping her team secure the WPL title in 2024.

Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, signed for ₹3.20 crore each by Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians respectively during the 2023 auction, are the most expensive overseas players in the WPL.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru replaced Australian bowler Sophie Molineux, who suffered a knee injury, with English allrounder Charlie Dean in January.

WPL 2025: Full squads

Delhi Capitals Women

Batters: Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Nandini Kashyap, Meg Lanning

All-rounders: Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Annabel Sutherland

Bowlers: Jess Jonassen, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu, Minnu Mani, Arundhati Reddy

Wicketkeepers: Taniyaa Bhatia, Sarah Bryce

Gujarat Giants Women

Batters: Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemalatha, Simran Shaikh

All-rounders: Ashleigh Gardner, Deandra Dottin, Danielle Gibson, Mannat Kashyap, Sayali Satghare

Bowlers: Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra, Shabnam Shakil, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Prakashika Naik

Wicketkeepers: Beth Mooney

Mumbai Indians Women

Batters: Hayley Matthews

All-rounders: Nadine de Klerk, Amandeep Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, Chloe Tryon

Bowlers: Saika Ishaque, Shabnim Ismail, Jintimani Kalita, Pooja Vastrakar, Sanskriti Gupta, G Kamalini, Sathyamoorthy Keerthana, Akshita Maheshwari

Wicketkeepers: Yastika Bhatia

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women

Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Sabbhineni Meghana, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

All-rounders: Charlie Dean, Ellyse Perry, Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, Raghvi Bist, Asha Sobhana

Bowlers: Renuka Singh, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, VJ Joshitha, Jagravi Pawar, Prema Rawat

Wicketkeepers: Richa Ghosh

UP Warriorz Women

Batters: Poonam Khemnar, Kiran Navgire, Dinesh Vrinda

All-rounders: Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma

Bowlers: Anjali Sarvani, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Arushi Goel, Kranti Goud, Gouher Sultana

Wicketkeeper: Uma Chetry, Alyssa Healy